Island Discovery Tour Orient & Maho Beach

St Maarten

6 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.3

· Teresa_F ·

Jan 2026

Tour guide was great, we toured the entire island! We saw French and Dutch side, rum tasting, air planes landing and many other points of interest

· Cathy_T ·

Feb 2026

Our driver was friendly and knowledgeable. We drove around the entire island, which was fun. We did not get to stop to shop but it was Carnivale, so that was out of his control. Watching the planes at Maho Beach was fabulous.

Overview

Experience the highlights of St Maarten on this 5-hour shore excursion leaving from the cruise port. Ride in an air-conditioned van to Maho Beach on the Dutch side of this Caribbean island and Lucas Bay on the French side. Learn about the culture and history of the island from your guide while enjoying complimentary beer, water and soda. Visit the villages of Grand Case and Marigot before being returned on-time for your cruise ship's departure.

A 5-hour guided tour through the Dutch and French parts of St Maarten
Cross over to the French side of the island and explore Lucas Bay
Watch jumbo jets land from Maho Beach
Receive free beer, water and soda during the entire tour
Includes pickup and drop-off at the cruise terminal

What's Included

Local guide
Rum punch, soda and water
Transport by air-conditioned vehicle

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

Our T.I.E representative will pick you up at your hotel reception Hotel guests, please contact us 48 hours prior to reconfirm pickup time at your hotel or villa

Meeting point

Saint Maarten Cruise Terminal
Saint Martin, 79 Juancho Yrausquin Blvd, Sint Maarten
Locate land taxi station. Walk pass taxi's to the circle with the sign "Hope To see You Soon Again". The pathway along the green wire fence with the car park on your right, leads to the EDC bus parking area. T.I.E reps will await you under the white tent.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Arranged start time

Confirm time with the local provider in advance of your experience.

Select your preferred tour option to see hours.

Itinerary

Meet your local guide at the cruise port in Philipsburg and climb aboard your comfortable van for a half-day exploration of St Maarten. Along the way, enjoy complimentary beer, soda and water, and listen to your guide detail the rich culture and history of this divided Caribbean Island.

Visit Grand Case, an adorable village containing streets lined with colonial-style houses and shops. Stop at any of the fantastic restaurants in this food-centric town for lunch, or sidle up to a street vendor and purchase a Caribbean snack. Walk down to stunning Grand Case Beach to check out the sand and surf.

Visit Lucas Bay, a less-visited beach on the Atlantic side of the ocean. This beach, the last French beach on the East side of the island, is a popular site for amateur divers.

Continue to Marigot on the French side of this Caribbean island. Enjoy 45 minutes of free time to walk the charming streets of the city, grabbing a drink or a croissant at one of the cafes. Visit the outdoor market to experience the abundance of produce and spices the island offers.

Stop at Maho Beach, famous for its location close to the flight path of aircraft taking off and landing at nearby Princess Juliana International Airport. Hang out on the beach while jumbo jets roar directly overhead.

When your 5-hour shore excursion is over, the tour guide will drop you off back at the cruise terminal in Philipsburg.

Worry-free Shore Excursion:

We will ensure your timely return to the cruise port. In the unlikely event that your ship has departed, we will arrange for transportation to your next port. If your ship is delayed and you are unable to attend this activity, your money will be refunded. See Viator's terms and conditions for full details.

Oyster Pond

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Coralita Beach

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Orient Bay

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Grand Case (Pass By)

Marigot

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Maho Beach

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Topper's Rhum Distillery

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Cole Bay Lookout

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Philipsburg

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Amsterdam Cheese and Liquor Store

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation

No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.3

based on 131 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Those was a great way to...

Jenny_R, Mar 2026

This was a great way to have a little bit of everything the island has to offer. We were late meeting the tour but Claudette was amazing and still made sure we had all the experiences.

Island tour

Judy_H, Mar 2026

Great tour! Our driver Andre was very knowledgeable about the island and had a great personality. We enjoyed all the places he took us:)

Great Day.

Cathy_T, Feb 2026

Our guide Claudette was...

Donna_M, Feb 2026

Our guide Claudette was amaaazzzinnnggg . Thanks Claudette. ❤️ She is very knowledgeable and very friendly. She made sure we enjoyed our time on every stop. Would surely recommend.

A great experience!

Maegan_E, Jan 2026

Our tour guide was awesome. He changed the tour around to fit our needs. It was me, my husband, and 4 kids ages 11-18. He was very nice and extremely knowledgeable. Our guide provided water and drinks for us. He made several stops along the way. I highly recommend doing all the stops he suggests and definitely going to airport beach. The beach can be loud with big waves but it’s a cool experience. When you get there buy a chair. Walk around and one of the beach places will eventually offer you free drinks with the chair purchase. You will love this tour!

Island tour

Teresa_F, Jan 2026

Tour guide was great, we toured the entire island! We saw French and Dutch side, rum tasting, air planes landing and many other points of interest

Jam packed day

stephanie_T, Dec 2025

There was lots to see. We stopped at many spots to take pictures and the market where we stopped for food was nice. Only huge downfall were that 6 ships docked on this day and the traffic was so bad that we couldn’t stop at the Jet beach. Just drove by. Only thing I was wanting to see :(

Don’t Miss this Tour!

Gwendolyn_H, Aug 2025

Lloyd & Claudette were FABULOUS & we thoroughly enjoyed the tour. The sights were beautiful and interesting - from the quiet and gorgeous beach, to the iguana feeding stop, the shops, the Maha airport viewing stop and interesting info about the colonization and life on the French & the Dutch sides. The air conditioned and very comfortable van totally made it. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Hello Gwendolyn, we are pleased you thoroughly enjoyed your experience with us. It was a pleasure having you on board. Thank you for your great review. Hopefully we'll See you again in the near future.

The Fruit of the Spirit

Faithful_F, Aug 2025

Excellent way to explore the island when you arrive! Good information, friendly tour guide, become knowledgeable about location, culture, and history. Nell was Amazing! ❤️

Absolutely Awesome 😎

Iris_B, Jul 2025

My family and I did the sightseeing tour of both sides of the Island. Our driver Nell was absolutely wonderful!! One of the best excursions I’ve been on.

Amazing

ERIKA_S, Jul 2025

This was our second time in St Marteen. Claudette was our guide for this tour and she rocks. Very friendly, funny, polite and proud of showing us the best of her island.

Fantastic day touring the island

Cindy_E, May 2025

We had the Best experience with Claudette touring the whole island. She was so friendly and knowledgeable of all the sites to see. Didn’t rush us at each stop and let us take our time. Fortunately we had a private tour with myself and husband and weren’t crammed in a van or on a bus with a whole bunch of people. She took us to her favorite place to eat at Cistas where we had some Great island food. Would definitely recommend a day with Claudette :)

Not the Royal treatment but the Lloyd treatment

Letitia_D, May 2025

Lloyd was the best. My sister and I were the only two people on this tour, so we received the Lloyed treatment. He picked us up from our hotel on time and the adventure of seeing both Dutch and French sides of the island began. Since it was Mother's Day many of the shops and restaurants were not open but that did not spoil our tour. He also added rum tasting at Topper's that was not on the agenda. Maho beach was fun, Orient Beach was beautiful. We encountered, black pigs, chickens, iguanas, and goats. Lloyd kept the rum punch flowing. He recommended several restaurants, and we were able to eat at Pineapple Pete and Skip Jack the following nights. He also dropped us off at our hotel. A day packed full of fun but not overwhelming. Thanks Lloyd.

Requesting a partial refund.

Mindye_B, May 2025

We were directed to the wrong place, and when we got to where we were supposed to meet, the bus had already left, however, they left before the tour was supposed to start so we were left off the bus. They got a different company to meet up with the bus, but we missed the beginning of the tour because of it. Kathy be told it was not our fault but it’s still happened. The rest of the tour was OK. I would drive was very nice and we had ample time at the stops that we made, but I will be requesting a partial refund for this since we missed The whole beginning of the tour

The Best Tour in St Maarten!

Donna_L, May 2025

Amazing excursion in St Maarten! Mama (Claudette) was so much fun and very informative of her island. My Son was on his honeymoon and she even surprised them, such a nice touch! Very well planned, personal and organized tour. We'll be back for sure!!

Nice view of the island....

Kevin_W, Apr 2025

Nice view of the island. Was rainy later in the tour which limited what we could do. We were the only two on the tour which surprised us, but we customized the day to fit our preferences. Nell was accommodating and friendly.

Absolutely amazing. Thank you Mama!

Ome_W, Apr 2025

OMG. This was an amazing tour truly made memorable by 'Mama' (Claudette). This was the first tour we did on the first Carribean island we visited and she set the bar sky high. She is a credit to the company and thank you for making us enjoy and appreciate your home.

Best ever

June_h, Apr 2025

It was the best. Our tour guide was the best Claudette was outstanding if I every go back I want to have her again

No beach time

Mary_W, Apr 2025

Difficult to find pick up point. Did not have any beach time. Driver had limited drinks. Driver did stop at a place for photo.

We had a fantastic day...

Shannon_C, Dec 2024

We had a fantastic day with Tobi! He catered to our preferences and was able to accommodate our group preferences ranging in age from 15-80. The ride was comfortable. Great day on the island!

The best surprise ever.

Mimi_H, Dec 2024

We ended up having a private tour just my sister and I. I couldn't have asked for a better Birthday... Toby the best tour guide ever surprised me with a Birthday song, ballons a card and champagne upon arrival. We saw hidden gems on both sides of the Island. Toby, was a wealth of knowledgeable about the French and Dutch side. Words cannot express what delight Toby was, to us visting the beautiful island of St. Maarten. Island Tours and Toby was the best. They definitely know how to treat their customers. I'll be sure to sure to book with you when I return. Thanks again

Response from Host, Dec 2024

Hello Mimi_H, thank you for choosing Twin Island Excursions. We are pleased to have had the privilege to serve you. See you again soon. Happy Holidays

Great tour for St Maarten

Delainie_J, Dec 2024

Julian our guide was excellent! Very knowledgeable, professional and courteous to our group. We visited all the sites as described and he consulted us as we went along to ensure the tour was what we wanted.

Lots to see and enjoy on a round the island tour

Graham_C, Dec 2024

Excellent tour around the island covering both French and Dutch parts. The beach time is a little limited - might be better to only visit one of them but for longer. We had 45 minutes at Orient and 1 hour at Maho (plenty of time to see the planes). The traffic back from Maho is horrendous (it took 45 minutes simpy to go around the runway) meaning we were about an hour later than planned returning to the port, but still OK for our departure. Treddy was an excellent host and very knowledgeable. Even changed vehicles to something larger as we were a little cramped with 9 in the initial minivan.

Would have been nicer without the traffic interference

Susan_Y, Nov 2024

Due to traffic issues we missed so much. We only got to stay at Orient Beach for 35 minutes, Marigot for 35 minutes, Majo Beach for 45 minutes and as a group decided to skip the cheese factory and the rum distillery to ensure we managed to get back to the ship on time. I understand that the tour operators can’t control the uncontrollable but I think that someone should have been aware of the construction and the problems it would cause. We were picked up 30 minutes late because the driver was stuck in traffic before the excursion even started. That being said our driver did the best he could but it was still disappointing to spend over 3 hours in traffic and very limited time enjoying the beaches and Marigot and having to skip some things to make sure we were not the dreaded port runner.

Fun in the Sun

Tanya_M, Nov 2024

Ken was awesome! We were a small group of only 6 so he was very accommodating and let us decide how much time we wanted at each place. He was very clear in his communication as to where and when to meet.

A Great Day!

Nicole_B, Sep 2024

My friend and I loved the tour we did with Lloyd at the end of August! Communication prior to the tour was great to arrange pick up at our hotel. I really appreciated this, as some other tour groups I had looked at were unable to come out to Oyster Bay to pick us up. The amount of free time at each stop was just right. At Orient beach we enjoyed swimming and trying a guavaberry drink. The French pastry in Marigot was fabulous and we also found things at the markets. Timing was just right to see lots of planes landing while we were at Maho. We had free time to explore Philipsburg while Lloyd took the others in the group back to the cruise ship. The lookouts, border site, and cheese shop were also interesting. We learned so much on our tour with Lloyd and he was a great guide! Not only was this tour really fun but I thought it was a great value.

AN INFORMATIVE AND LOVABLE TOUR

ENRIQUE_L, Sep 2024

Julian was a great, informative and gente guide He knows about the place and it shows he loves Lis Island and wants you to love it as well

Timing cockups.

BERNARD_P, Aug 2024

The tour was fine, my problem is with Viator. After booking the tour, the operator emailed to say the time was 9.30am, this was 11 days before the tour. When viator issued the ticket the day before the tour it stated a time of 10.15am, sorry if I see a ticket saying 10.15am I am not going to remember an email from 11 days previous. There was a driver from another tour from the same company who arrived at 10.30am & contacted the other drive & got him go pull in & he then brought me to the correct bus, I arrived over an hour late. The whole situation was a complete mess. How the tour operator & the selling agent are not in the same page is very strange.

Response from Host, Aug 2024

Hello Bernard, Thank you for your review. Not only did you receive notice of the time change in advance, you also confirmed receipt, and agreed to attend at the new time. When given a copy of your acceptance of the new tour time on the day of the tour, you were muted.

Great value, slight issues that could have been avoided

Chartaye_T, May 2024

For the price, the tour is worth it. However, I have two issues. The ticket time said 10:15, I received an email advising the tour will start at 9:30, which is fine. I made it to the tour pickup at 9:30am and was told the tour group left already. We had to wait until 9:56am for someone to take us to the first stop to meet the tour group. Another tour guide was at the site for a different excursion, he stated that he will take us to meet the group when everyone from his tour arrives. Around 9:56am, another guy pulled up in a van and took us. Perhaps the company was told pretty late that we was there, but we was there for 9:30. When we arrived to our first stop to meet the group, I asked the guide how come they left early, she said, because everyone else was here and i decided no need to wait until 10:15, so we we left at 9:15. It appears that the tour guide was not told that the actual meet time was 9:30. I believe if she was aware, which she should have been, I believe she would have waited until 9:30 for us. That was one issue, the second was that we didn’t spend 45 minutes at Maho beach, the tour guide said we can go and watch 2 planes and come back. Last but not least, the rum punch was good, but they give you a shot of rum punch, in a shot type cup, so don’t expect an actual cup, it’s unlimited though. That’s my honest opinion and experience.Viator has rectified the situation and took it upon themselves to satisfy us. Thank you Viator! The initial issue was bad judgement by the tour guide for leaving early, but my lasting impression was due to the company not apologizing for my experience. I paid what they requested me to pay to book the tour, but I missed out on some value of the amount paid based on my experience. I wish I was able to stay at Orient beach longer, such a beautiful beach, and Maho beach for the full time. I really wanted to get the right pictures of the planes flying overhead, I had to rush back to the bus so we wouldn’t keep everyone waiting too long. If we had the full 45 minutes, I would have loved it and wouldn’t feel rushed.

Planes and more Planes!

Jamilah_P, May 2024

The best part of the experience was seeing the planes take off and land it was absolutely amazing. Prior to reaching Maho beach our tour guide made several stops including orient beach for about 30 mins and then to the French side to eat where we stayed about an hour and then a couple more stops around the island which was okay but I just was interested in doing the Maho beach. After we did all the other stops the other people in the van wanted to leave and go back to the ship and I told the driver no, the only reason I came on this tour was to see the planes. The driver was cool he got us there and back to the ship in one piece. I would recommend the tour to see the planes I got some excellent video!